Star Trek: Generations 03: Sela's Desperate Shadow
by rylansato
Summary: Captain Kennedy Zofchak recalls her mission following the incident at Khitomer. The USS Crossfire has been sent to Agrama to investigate the Romulan's involvement in Borg technology while Sela holds a conference regarding her involvement at Khitomer. The investigation leads her to Virinat and she uncovers who was behind the destruction of the colony and abduction of the inhabitants
1. Chapter 1

Star Trek: Generations: Sela's Desperate Shadow

 _Captain's Log: Stardate: 86195.0: The Crossfire has been assigned to assist the delegation on Khitomer regarding the legitimacy of the Romluan Republic. They are seeking allies as they do not want to be part of the Romulan Star Empire and break away from the grasp of the Tal Shiar. I can't say that I blame them. The Republic's leader, D'Tan has met with Federation officials for some time and it looks like that…_

The intercom kicked on, interrupting Captain Zofchak's log entry.

 _Damn it_

Captain Kennedy Zofchak was slightly annoyed as this was her third time trying to get her log entry to sound right. She was never able to get it on the first try as she had a tendency to make them too long or not professional enough. Earlier, she took a break between her first and second attempts to contact her sister Kyou, captain of the Enterprise. Maybe the talked a little too long but it wasn't every day they got to chance to talk. Not like the old days back on the Alexandria. Now that her two sisters were serving on the Enterprise and no longer in the academy, her worry for them had increased, especially after the incident with the Klingons and the Borg just after their graduation.

"Captain Zofchak," the female voice said.

"What is it, Ashley?"

"There's a priority one message from Admiral Janeway," Ashley said.

"Put it through in here." She sighed as she figured her log entry would just be another failed recording. She pressed the button on her monitor that showed the face of Admiral Janeway. "Admiral, what can I help you with?"

"There was an explosion at Khitomer. A bomb materialized behind the Klingon speaker but Temer, a member of the Romulan Republic sacrificed himself to save everyone in the room."

"So, is our mission changing to relief status?" Zofchak asked.

"No, I'm changing your mission altogether," Janeway said. "The bomb left residual elements associated with Romulan and Borg technology."

"Borg? Really? They're just asking for the Collective to come down here."

"Those are also my thoughts," Janeway said. "Sela has called for a conference with Federation diplomats in the Agrama System at the edge of the Neutral Zone. She wants to explain that the bombing was not her doing."

"I'll believe that," Zofchak said sarcastically. She saw Janeway smirk as that was another thought they shared. "Why the Agrama System?"

"It's the closest planet that has any sort of neutrality between the Federation and the Star Empire," Janeway said. "The planet is inhabited by Romulans but it's divided by those loyal to Sela and those who want to remain independent from all powers."

"I can't imagine Sela approving of that as she's putting up such a fuss about the Romulan Republic," Zofchak said.

"I can't either but she has made no moves against them and there have been no reports of anything going against those loyal to the empire," Janeway said.

"I'm sure it's just something Sela using to show she's being 'fair and gracious' to her people. So, what is it you want the Crossfire to do?"

"I want you and your crew to go to Agrama and investigate secretly while the conference is going on. If you disguise yourselves as Romulans, then you should be able to get further than blatantly showing you're a Starfleet officer. Find out anything you can about their use of Borg technology. If you find any, destroy it. Janeway out."

Zofchak leaned back in her chair. She pondered the mission itself and wondered who to take on the away team. She had to keep it to a minimum so it would be her and two others. She stood up and tugged on her tunic to straighten it. She walked out of her ready room and onto the bridge.

"Lieutenant Moss, set a course for the Agrama System. Warp 9," she said heading for her chair.

"Are we not going to Khitomer?" Commander Elisa Flores asked while watching her captain sit down.

"No, there was an incident and Starfleet has ordered us to Agrama because the Romulans have their hands in Borg tech and you know what that means for us. Sela has called for a conference to disavow any involvement in the incident in Khitomer and while she's busy with that, we're to investigate the side of the planet that is loyal to the empire. The conference will occur within the area of the independent states."

"Course laid in, sir," Moss reported.

"Engage."


	2. Chapter 2

"Sela has interesting taste in peace conference locations," Flores said. "The Agrama System has been a haven for the Orion Syndicate for more than a century. The asteroid belt is littered with pirate bases. With the Romulan presence on Agrama Prime then that could change things for the Syndicate."

"As the planet is divided, Sela is showing her "gracious" side by essentially leaving the independent Romulans alone and providing protection for them from pirates," Zofchak said standing in the center of the bridge. "That is if the pirates have decided to even stay in the area. Reports indicate that the Syndicate hasn't been as pushy as of late and most have set up shop on Nimbus Three."

"Regardless, we should stay on alert," Flores said.

"When it comes to the Romulans or the Syndicate," Zofchak said. "I'm always on guard."

"With this Borg tech they're messing with," Lieutenant Saka said. "Do you think they may try and experiment on people living in the independent states?"

"I'm sure they've already started," Zofchak said. "Keep people under a false sense of security and maybe they won't suspect anything."

"If they are doing their experiments on the planet then it's likely the Tal Shiar have a base on Agrama," Saka said.

"Agreed," Zofchak said. She saw her communication officer react to something out of the corner of her eye. She turned her attention to the girl at the station.

"Ash, what is it?" she asked. She spun around in her chair to face the captain.

"We're picking up a distress call, audio only," she said.

"Let's hear it," Zofchak said. Loesch pressed a button on her console and put the distress call through the speakers on the bridge.

 _"_ _This is Tovan Khev. Our planet is being attacked by some unknown force. To anyone in range, please help. Our people are being abducted._ _Please help us."_

"It repeats after that, sir," Loesch said. Zofchak exhaled loudly as she thought about her next move.

"Where is the distress call coming from?" Zofchak asked.

"A planet in the Japori sector," Loesch said looking at her console. "It's Virinat."

"That used to be one of their biggest agricultural worlds," Flores said. "It was more or less an outpost settlement and then they had a population spike after the destruction of Romulus."

"According to Starfleet Intelligence," Zofchak said. "D'Tan of the Romulan Republic was in secret contact with the maiori of Virinat, both lending aid to each other."

"Do you think Sela is behind that attack?" Flores asked.

"If she found out there was a relationship between them and the Republic then I wouldn't doubt she'd do something about it. However, it was said they didn't know the attacker. So the Empire could be using a proxy to attack their own people."

"Oh, I'm glad I wasn't born Romulan," Flores said in a low voice. The captain was the only one that heard her.

"What's our current location, Zane?" Zofchak asked.

"We are in the Rator Sector," he said.

Zofchak thought for a moment as she straightened her tunic. "Well, I hope Admiral Janeway isn't expecting a timely report. Helm, set a course for Virinat. Maximum warp."

* * *

The Crossfire dropped out of warp in the Virinat System. The image of Virinat appeared on the viewscreen, along with its moon and the asteroid belt that was situated between them. The asteroid belt was also full of debris, some decades old and others fairly recent, as recent as a few hours.

"Report," Zofchak said standing up.

"We've entered the Virinat System," Lieutenant Commander Stadi said from her Ops position. "Sensors detect residual traces of weapons fire."

"What type?"

"Romulan disruptor fire and...something similar to a disruptor energy pattern but there's a slight difference to it. There's no record of this type of energy in the computer."

"That must be the new player in the game," Zofchak said. "Combining them and the Romulans doesn't strike me as a positive note for us."

"Sensors detect debris of T'Liss warbirds and T'varo warbirds. Some of them are registered I.R.W," Stadi said.

"Imperial Romulan Warbirds," Zofchak muttered.

"They attacked their own colony?" Flores asked.

"It looks that way but they could be defending it too," Zofchak said. "There is that unknown energy signature we picked up so they could be the hostile force. Judging from the lack of debris of non-Romulan ships could mean that they wiped the floor with the Romulans."

"Sir," Stadi said. "I just scanned some of the warbirds and not all of them are with the Imperial fleet."

"Where are the others from?" Zofchak asked.

"It says R.R.W," Stadi said. "Romulan Republic Warbird."

"So the Republic came to help the colony," Zofchak said. "Scan the damage on the hulls and see who was doing what."

"Aye, sir." Stadi's fingers dashed across her console to bring up the sensor readings. "The imperial ships have energy traces consistent with Romulan disruptors while the republic ships have both Romulan and the unknown energy traces."

"I guess that rules out them helping each other," Zofchak said. "And the idea the Empire was using a proxy. Sela has a new friend to play with and they're ganging up on Romulans that don't align with the Empire."

"Are there any life signs on the planet?" Flores asked.

"None, sir," Stadi replied.

"Well we only get so much info up here," Zofchak said. "We'll have to go down there ourselves and see what else we can find out. Nanako, Alisia, you're with me. Elisa, you have the bridge." The two officers joined the captain on the turbolift."


	3. Chapter 3

Four Starfleet officers materialized on the surface of Virinat. Doctor T'Vrell had joined the away team. They were in an opening surrounded by destroyed buildings. It was eerily quiet. Zofchak looked around at the hours old damage. Smoke rose from other parts of the village, over the destroyed rooftops. Everything was still. Too still for Zofchak's liking. She could sense the death in the air.

Alisia walked over to a piece of debris that was protruding from the ground. It looked like a piece of starship that had fallen to the ground. Alisia scanned it with her tricorder.

"The alloys in this debris is consistent with that used in Romulan starships," she said. "I was hoping it was from our unknown player."

"I could tell just by looking at it that it was Romulan," Zofchak said as she proceeded down the alleyway. She wasn't trying to sound arrogant but rather display that she was focused on something else and didn't want to bother with debris from orbit. She was hoping they'd find survivors despite their initial sensor scans coming up negative.

"Do you have a lot of experience with Romulans, sir?" Alisia asked with curiosity that could be compared to that of a child.

"You could say that," Zofchak said while still looking at her surroundings. She kept her phaser ready regardless of her tricorder telling her there were no lifesigns.

Stadi wanted to ask more questions but her captain's tone suggested it was time to stop prying into her personal life. She really wanted to know more about the captain's history with Romulans. However, that interest was pushed aside when they turned the corner and she spotted something else, a dead body.

Doctor T'Vrell knelt down to scan the body. It was a Romulan female. The woman's long dark hair had covered most of her face. Stadi was relieved she couldn't see the face, she could only imagine it was a look of horror. She did see some green blood outlining the woman's mouth. T'Vrell stood up with a loud sigh.

"This woman died from a plasma weapon's discharge but her tissues appear to be infected with some sort of fungal spores."

"What sort of fungal spores?" Zofchak asked.

T'Vrell shook her head as she looked at the body. "I'm not sure. It could be biogenic, metagenic or something we haven't encountered before. Either the Romulans are messing with this stuff or their new allies are."

Saka looked around the immediate area. Zofchak watched her security chief with curiosity, raising an eyebrow in almost a Vulcan-like manner.

"Are you okay, Nanako?" she asked.

"Yes, sir," she said. "I was just looking for a weapon. Aaannnnd I don't see one. This woman was shot in the back. She was running away unarmed. I had wondered if she had been attacking the intruders and was retreating and that's why she was shot in the back but since there is a lack of a weapon, that leaves me to conclude she was just trying to get away. The attackers killed indiscriminately."

"Couldn't the attackers have gathered the weapons before leaving?" Stadi asked.

"Unlikely," Saka said. "This battle is only a few hours old and it would have taken them awhile to gather all the weapons. The only thing they did make sure to take back were their own dead. I'm also seeing a lack of bodies that belong to the Tal Shiar agents."

"Fan out," Zofchak said. "Scan the area for anything that may give us more clues."

"Sir," T'Vrell said. "I'd like to take this body back to the Crossfire to examine it more closely. Perhaps we can come up with some sort of counteragent that will render the spores inert."

Zofchak nodded to her before proceeding off in her own direction. T'Vrell tapped her comm badge and instructed the transporter technician to beam her and the body directly to sickbay. After watching T'Vrell and the body disappear in the transporter beam, she ventured over to a fountain near what she guessed were homes. The debris of one home spilled out across the courtyard, blocking passage to another area of homes. Among the debris was an old fashioned Romulan centurion helmet that was used during the 23rd century. She picked it up, brushing off the dirt. Aside from a few dents, it was in good condition.

"Sir," Stadi said walking over to her. "I'm detecting some sort of low level energy signature coming from the western side of the colony. It matches the energy signature we picked up in orbit."

"Let's check it out," Zofchak said keeping a hold of the helmet. Stadi noticed the helmet but kept herself from asking about it.

The two of them crept through the deserted and destroyed town. Giant craters littered the area suggesting an orbital bombardment. Zofchak was trying to see past the destruction for what the town was supposed to look like. From what should could imagine, it looked like it belonged to a pre-warp civilization. The structures had been built in a crude but effective style that looked far from modern Romulan designs.

The colony was using alternate power sources such as windmills. Zofchak noted a giant windmill blade was sticking into the ground far from its tower. Despite that and some slight damage to the blade, it was relatively intact and withstood some high power explosive blasts.

They turned another corner and up a few steps to see a piece of technology sitting in the middle of a courtyard. There was nothing subtle about it. It was giant, black with glowing green lights and stood out so much that a blind man could see it. Stadi scanned it with her tricorder.

"I think this device is some sort of beacon," she said. "But it doesn't conform to any technology I'm familiar with."

Saka slowly walked around some debris. She stopped when she spotted something that did not belong. It wasn't very large but looked heavy. Tentacles protruded from the front, one was broken off. Judging by the design, it looked like it was meant for flight but not for long distances and not interplanetary. She scanned it with her tricorder, pressing a few buttons.

She stood up and looked around for the captain or Stadi but did not see them. She tapped her comm badge.

"Saka to Zofchak," she said.

"Go ahead," Zofchak said a moment later.

"I found something you may want to see."

"On our way." Zofchak and Stadi jogged up to her a few moments later. "What did you find?"

"I don't know what it is," Saka said. "It's definitely not Romulan."

Zofchak knelt down to examine it more closely. Its design matched that of the beacon she and Stadi discovered.

"I'd say it belongs to the Tal Shiar's new friends," Zofchak said.

"There are traces of fabric and Romulan blood on the tentacles," Saka said.

"My guess is that it was scooping up civilians and taking them back to a ship that had entered the atmosphere," Zofchak said.

"Why take prisoners?" Stadi asked. "Why not just kill everyone?"

"The Tal Shiar loves experimenting with new stuff. Admiral Janeway had informed me the Tal Shiar has their hands on Borg technology. So my guess is that they want people to run more experiments on."

Saka's attention went to her tricorder that suddenly started beeping. "Sir," she said. "I'm detecting a subspace transmission. We can access it from that console over there." She pointed behind them to an area that just missed being a victim of an orbital blast. A giant crater was only a few meters from the only intact console. The other machinery were not so fortunate.

Zofchak activated the console as the other two flanked her to get a look at the screen. To their surprise an image of Empress Sela appeared on the screen.

"Citizens of the Empire, it is with great sorrow that I report the destruction of our colony in the Virinat System by the terrorist insurgents known as the Romulan Republic. I believe most of the residents of Virinat were loyal subjects of the empire who were unaware of the terrorist cell hidden amongst their homes and families. Their deaths are a tragedy. When the Tal Shiar attempted to remove the insurrectionists and save Virinat and its people, the Romulan Republic destroyed the entire colony rather than submit to the lawful authority of my people. I grieve for the loss of innocent life. Rest assured that those responsible will be found and punished for their crimes against the Romulan people. Virinat will not be forgotten."

The message ended and the screen with blank. Zofchak just smirked and shook her head in disbelief.

"That didn't take long," Saka said.

"Nope," Zofchak said. "And she's gonna try and use this attack to get more of the independent colonies to side with her."

"Since we're going to Agrama, shouldn't we show their leaders the evidence we have that proves the Tal Shiar were behind the attack here?" Stadi asked.

Saka shook her head before Zofchak could make the same move. "No, they'll think it's just a fabrication on our part to help further drive a wedge between the Romulans. They'll need to hear it from their own people."

"She's right," Zofchak said. "Even though they're independent states, many Romulans aren't exactly trusting of the Federation. For something like this they'll need definitive proof that takes away all doubt. And it's our job to find that proof." She tapped her comm badge. "Zofchak to Crossfire. Three to beam up. Once we're aboard resume course to the Agrama System."


	4. Chapter 4

Lieutenant Commander Alisia Stadi's pitch black eyes watched the planet come into view as the Pathfinder class ship dropped out of warp in the Agrama System. Its nacelles dropped down into their stand by mode, a trait that ships in the Intrepid family shared. Her older sister, Veronica Stadi, served on the Intrepid class Voyager. She was in elementary school when Voyager disappeared. She went on an emotional roller coaster as she had assumed her sister had died. Then she found out Voyager was in the Delta Quadrant but her celebration was cut short when she found out her sister did in fact die. It was then she decided to enter Starfleet.

Captain Zofchak rose from her command chair, staring at the rotating green and brown planet. Three moons were also in view as was the asteroid belt that was full of rocks and debris.

"Report," she said.

"We've arrived to Agrama. Several Starfleet vessels in orbit," Stadi said. "The portion of the planet that is loyal to the Tal Shiar is blanketed with transport inhibitors."

"Transport inhibitors? Why bother with those?" Saka asked.

"It's the Tal Shiar," Zofchak said. "They they don't want anyone beaming out from their territory. I guess that means we are beaming into the independent area. Stadi, Saka, you're with me. We should do something about our appearances. I don't think they'll like non-Romulans roaming around. We'll have Doctor T'Vrell make us look like Romulans. We'll also wear Tal Shiar uniforms to make it easier for us to move around."

"We should also create some identities for ourselves," Saka said. "The Romulans are very suspicious of everyone, including themselves. We'll need cover identities in case we are stopped."

The three officers materialized in an alleyway to not draw attention. They sported Tal Shiar uniforms. Zofchak gave her uniform a quick glance as well as those worn by her away team. They appeared to be up to spec.

"I'm really glad the Romulans have changed up their uniform to be a bit more form fitting," Zofchak said. "I hated the look of the obnoxiously broad shoulders. My favorite was the old silver ones from the twenty-third century. They really showed off my figure."

Saka and Stadi gave each other an uncertain glance, unsure of how to respond to the comment.

"Didn't those uniforms have really short skirts?" Saka asked.

Zofchak nodded. "Yep, I liked the way I looked in them."

"Wear them often, sir?" Saka asked.

"From time to time," Zofchak said. "I have some resources that allow me to get my hands on some authentic Romulan gear."

"Resources, sir?" Stadi asked. Zofchak just grinned at her officers before heading out into the open. Once they emerged from the alleyway, they did their best to blend in. They mimicked how other Romulans acted with others. They had to stop walking cautiously and start walking with a hint of arrogance.

"Don't act so nervous, Stadi," Zofchak said. "You need to show you belong and that you're superior to everyone else because you're Tal Shiar."

"Yes, sir," she said. "I've never been undercover before."

"Just act natural," Saka said. "Just don't look like you're trying to act natural."

"This is a cake walk compared to what my grandparents went through," Zofchak said. "They were spies sent to Romulus after the destruction of the Enterprise-C. They spent a few years on Romulus, posing as Romulans."

"Really?" Stadi asked.

Zofchak nodded. "Yeah, they made friends, acted like normal citizens so not to raise suspicion. I'll tell you more once we're back on the ship.

The trio approached a train station that crossed from the independent area into the Empire controlled area. They watched people interact with the armed guards as they boarded the train.

"That is our way into the other side," Zofchak said.

"We'll see just how convincing our identities really are," Saka said.

"If anything happens to one of us, just keep going. Don't act like we know each other."

"Why do you think anything would happen?" Stadi asked.

"There are actual Tal Shiar agents near the guards," Zofchak said. "They're watching everyone who enters; ready to jump on anyone they even remotely suspect." Stadi watched the guards that shared their uniform style at the gate. Their hands were ready to draw their disruptors while their eyes burned into every single person passing through.

The three of them approached the gate and gave the guard their ID chips. Stadi and Saka made it through with no problem. The guard took extra time looking at Zofchak's information. One of the Tal Shiar agents approached from behind Zofchak. The guard looked at Zofchak's ID.

"Is there a problem?" Zofchak asked. Saka and Stadi slowly made for the train while subtly watching their captain. The agent motioned for two more agents to approach them. They grabbed Zofchak by her arms

"You're coming with us," the agent said.

"They're taking the captain away," Stadi said. She began to move toward them to intervene but was stopped by Saka.

"Keep your voice down," Saka said. "We have to get on the train. Those are our orders." Stadi watched helplessly as her captain was taken out of sight and there was nothing she could do about it as Saka directed her onto the train.

The pair entered an empty compartment. Stadi looked out the window but it faced the opposite side toward the mountains. She felt a wave of fear overtake her. She began to pace the small room.

"What are we going to do now?" she asked. "The captain knew what to do. I don't know what we're supposed to do now. We should beam back to the ship."

"Through the transport inhibitors?" Saka asked. "The military oversees the actual transporter sites. We'd have to get back across the border and I don't think that can happen at this moment."

"Why would you want to when the fun is just starting?" Zofchak said stepping into the compartment much to the surprise of her two officers. The fear that Stadi felt a moment ago disappeared in a flash.

"What happened, Sir?" Saka asked.

"A case of mistaken identity," Zofchak said. "They thought I was impersonating a Tal Shiar agent but then I showed them my black side. I used almost every Romulan curse word in the book."

"That's it?" Stadi asked.

"And I also implied their families would be dead by the end of the day and there wouldn't be a damn thing they could do about it. All you gotta do is stand your ground and bare your teeth."

"I'll have to remember that," Stadi said.

"Yeah, just stand your ground and don't show fear," Zofchak said.

"Actually, I meant I'll have to remember not to make you angry or my family will suffer for it."

"Not angering your captain is something all crewmembers should strive for."

"Sir," Saka said. "Where are we going now? We seem to be making things up as we go along."

"That's how I do things," Zofchak said activating her tricorder. "According to the map, there is a Romulan base not far from the third stop on this route. Let's head there and see what we can find out."


End file.
